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Academic Integrity and AI: AI for Research

A guide about academic integrity and using artificial intelligence (AI) in assignments.

AI for Research

On this page find out about :

Unfortunately, popular free generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot and Google Gemini are not always reliable search engines. They work by making predictions based on data they have been trained on, rather than retrieving live information.

Do not use them for finding information because you will have to fact check everything which is a lot of work. 

However, there are reliable AI tools that can help with certain types of research projects, including literature and systematic reviews.

Below is a summary of some AI Research tools for academic research purposes. You can find out more by watching the videos on the right-hand side of the page. 

Note: If you are using Microsoft Copilot to search for information, be sure to click on the citations so that you use information directly from the original source.

AI Research Tools

ChatPDF
  • Can summarise PDF documents like online journal articles, business annual reports, research reports and manuals.
  • Can answer your questions about what is in the document
  • Free version lets you ask questions of 2 PDFS per day.
  • No sign in required

Consensus

  • Search engine that ranks academic literature based on relevance, quality and accuracy
  • Gives the consensus of the scientific community about your topic
  • Lists the papers used to provide the consensus and includes links to full text versions
  • Sign in required

Dimensions AI

  • Contains over 100 million publications
  • Searches across a wide range of subject areas
  • The paid version links publications and citations with grants, patents, clinical trials, datasets, and policy papers
  • If no full text then copy and paste the article title into Library Search to find it in an Ara database.
  • Click Register for free for access
  • The free account searches publications and datasets.

Elicit

  • Searches for academic literature
  • Uses semantic search, so will encompass relevant keywords without you having to input them
  • Summarizes research
  • Finds relevant literature through searching for meaning and not just relying on accurate keywords
  • Keeps refining results according to relevance that you determine
  • Limited free access: paid plan required after a period of use
  • Sign in required

EvidenceHunt

  • Uses AI to search for clinical evidence
  • Use simple search terms, predefined medical specialties, or use your own custom PubMed query
  • Subscribe to a weekly e-alert. EvidenceHunt will run your search for you on a weekly basis so you get the most up to date clinical information
  • Extracts summaries and sample sizes
  • Sign in required

Keenious

  • an academic search engine that recommends research papers by analysing your document 
  • uses Open Alex 
  • upload an abstract of a useful article and Keenious will find supporting academic documents
  • free version gives you one page of results for each search
  • watch this video to add Keenious Add-In to Word (Add-Ins / Get Add ins)

Lateral

  • Searches across multiple documents at once
  • Searches contextually rather than relying on being fed the right keywords
  • Makes suggestions for appropriate content based on selections made by the user
  • Is collaborative (you can share your collections with others)
  • Sign in required

Open Knowledge Maps

  • The visual maps provide an instant overview of a topic by showing the main areas at a glance, and documents related to each area.
  • Clusters similar documents together.
  • Labels research areas with relevant concepts.
  • Highlights open access content

Research Rabbit
  • Searches for academic literature
  • uses Open Alex
  • Learns from your selections to find relevant literature
  • Notifies you of recent research on your topic/s
  • Provides interactive visualisations of topics and authors to expand or narrow your research
  • Is collaborative (you can share your collections with others)
  • Sign in required

Scite Assistant

  • Helps you with your literature reviews
  • Helps you check how scientific articles have been cited
  • Tells you if it supports or contradicts your research question or if it just briefly mentions your topic. A great time saver.
  • It puts your references into context.

Semantic Scholar

  • Searches research papers across all fields of science
  • Notifies you of recent research on your topic/s
  • Papers can be saved and organised into a library
  • If no full text then copy and paste the article title into Library Search to find it in an Ara database.
  • No sign in required

 

AI Tool Quick Guide

AI Tool Quick Guide

Image adapted with permission from Wintec Academic Integrity: Using AI in Assignments webpage. Download a printable copy of the above AI Tool Quick guide here.

Need more advice?

If you need more advice about using AI in your assignments

[Disclaimer: AI technology is rapidly evolving so this information may change in near future to reflect new developments.]

Guidelines on this page are adapted from Wintec Academic Integrity: Using AI in Assignments webpage. Thank you to Merren Tait, AI Librarian, Wintec, for this permission. 

AI Tools - How-to Videos

ChatPDF

Andy Park. (2023, May 17). ChatPDF: Use this document to chat with any PDF documents [You Tube, 5 mins].

Consensus

Consensus (2022, September 7). Consensus product hunt beta launch demo. [You Tube, 2 mins].

Elicit

BU Cares (2023, Jan 28). How to use AI for Research: Using Elicit.org for writing a literature review. [You Tube, 15 mins].

EvidenceHunt and 4 more AI tools

MedMastery (2024, Jun 24). Top AI tools for efficient literature search. [You tube, 4 mins]

Lateral

Lateral (2021, May 28). Welcome to Lateral. [You Tube, 3 mins].

Open Knowledge Maps

The Gray Man (2021, March 11). How to use Open Knowledge Maps. [You Tube, 20 mins]

Research Rabbit

Science Grad School Coach (2022, Nov 22). How to create a literature review with Research Rabbit. [You Tube, 9 mins].

Scite Assistant

Helmink, Fleur GL., (2021, May 3). Become a SCITE.AI pro in 5 steps. [You Tube, 12 mins].